A number of lecturers at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology will be initiating proceedings in the industrial tribunal against the college because they feel they were misled about the amount of tax they would be paying.

The case will be filed by the Malta Union of Teachers, which represents the lecturers, pointing out that Mcast had agreed to the move as it felt the tribunal was the best place to settle the issue, MUT president John Bencini said yesterday.

He was speaking during a meeting with Mcast lecturers to outline an agreement signed between the union and the college on Tuesday. The agreement covers pending issues and paves the way to start discussions on the new collective agreement for college staff. The old agreement expired last year. One of the four issues concerns the payment of taxes. Mr Bencini explained that part-time lecturers had been wrongly advised by the college that they would only pay 15 per cent tax, when in fact they pay 35 per cent.

The difference stemmed from a provision in tax law that states that full-time employees in the state-run college have to pay 35 per cent tax on part-time work within the same college. Outsiders would pay 15 per cent, Mr Bencini said.

The union felt that lecturers were misled by the college and insisted that the college should pay the difference owed in tax. During a four-hour meeting on Tuesday, the union and college agreed to take the issue to the tribunal.

The clash between the union and the college had led to a two-hour strike last week.

The union also issued other directives on Monday, including another strike that was to be held on Friday, but retracted them after the two sides agreed to meet.